Ice-Bound
by Ayumu Foxtail-chan
Summary: A little collection of drabbles revolving around our favorite ice and water mages! (#7 - The Romantic Process - She was going to get him to fall in love with her one way or another.)
1. Conversation

**Hello there! This'll be a little Gruvia drabble collection. ****They'll all be between 100 and 999 words so this is about the shortest one will ever be. :D**  
**There might be hints of Lyvia here and there but Gray and Juvia mostly. :P  
**

**I hope you enjoy!**

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_~She just wanted a straight-forward answer from him, sometimes.~_

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_**Conversation**_

She had dreams sometimes about him. Well, she always dreamt about him but sometimes they were dreams about him… in a different sense.

They weren't dreams about him finally confessing to her or finally standing up for her, no, they were dreams where his silence wasn't deafening.

That when she'd tell him how much she loved him he'd speak up for once and talk to her, acknowledge her, finally give it to her straight. She hated his silence. She hated it when he'd brush her off. She just wanted a conversation with him. An honest to goodness conversation.

But in the end they were only dreams.

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_The Duel World Challenge - Nightmare Penguin - write about a dream - "silence" - 106 words_


	2. Everywhere at Once

_~She showed up around every corner.~_

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_**Everywhere at Once**_

It was sometimes quite frightening, all the places she showed up. She was everywhere at once, it seemed sometimes and after a while, it was damn near creepy.

Whether it was in the guild, outside his window, or even the days she'd show up at his door with pancakes in the morning, she was absolutely everywhere.

He'd pull a book out of the bookshelf and she'd be peering through the other side. He'd mumble to himself about how he could really use a drink and she'd shove a beer into his hands when he'd been absolutely sure he was alone.

She was everywhere, around him, all the time, and sometimes he wondered how she even did it.

* * *

_The Duel World Challenge - Skull Servant - write about something frightening - "books" -117 words_

**Just a little bit about Juvia and her loveable stalker-y self. Heh. XD**

**~Foxtail-chan**


	3. Sun of Ice

_~He'd saved her that day~_

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_**Sun of Ice**_

Drip drip drop, ice turned-

out to be, the sun that saved-

the rain woman

* * *

_The Sinnoh League Challenge - Verity Lakefront - part 1 - a - write a haiku_

**I'm not one for poetry so I'm sorry if this was weird or whatever. Back on track with drabbles for the next one. Is it sad that I had to look up what a haiku was, and then stretch its rules for syllables for the last line? Probably. XD**

**~Foxtail-chan**


	4. Admittance

_~Their... relationship... didn't go by the books. Falling for your stalker: that was a new one.~_

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_**Admittance**_

It was frightening. _She_ was frightening. At first it'd just been weird and uncomfortable, having her around all the time, then… he got used to it. Was it scary that he'd gotten used to, dare he even say _accustomed _to having a stalker? Yeah, it was. It was scary that he worried when she didn't show up at his door in the mornings. Something was definitely wrong with him.

But what he had to admit was even more frightening was the fact that he'd actually grown to… like it. Like her. Like the attention.

Gray Fullbuster, scared of a woman, scared of silly feelings. It was something he'd never thought possible and something he'd _never _admit to _anyone. Ever._

* * *

_The Duel World Challenge - Skull Servant - write about something frightening - books - 119 words_

**I picture Gray to be a secretive little thing. Push down yo pride man, admit you like her. XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.**

**~Foxtail-chan**


	5. Perfection

_~He was truly perfect in her eyes.~_

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_**Perfection**_

If asked to describe Gray, she could do so to a nearly inhuman level. She could describe in words what his voice sounded like when he was angry, sad, or mumbling in his sleep. She could name every birthmark, scar, and scrape on his body without looking and where they'd come from. She could tell anyone exactly anything about him, and she'd do so with the most loving expression one could possibly imagine.

His skin felt rough, but a good kind of rough. Like a canvas weathered by sand. His eyes were sharp, and yes, no matter how much he didn't want to admit it, squinty. She assumed it was from all the years of glaring and pouting and pretending he didn't care. They were sharp eyes, but deep. If looked into she swore she could see the world spread out in front of her.

The scar on his abdomen, the ones on his arms, or even the birthmark on the back of his neck he believed no one besides himself knew about, she knew by heart. Not through snooping, of course, just careful observation.

She truly believed every inch of him, every flaw he had, was perfect.

She could describe everything physically about Gray to a tee. Some might call it freakish but studying him was how she showed her love, in a way.

The only thing that worried her was the fact that she couldn't describe him emotionally the same way. He was withdrawn and as much as she liked to think she knew him, she knew he held secrets deep down that she might never uncover.

Of course, that presented a challenge. And if it was a challenge for Gray, she'd take it upon herself to complete it any day of the week.

* * *

_Becoming the Tamer King Challenge- Meeting Azulongmon 2 - write about someone describing something - 296 words_

**With all the new Gruvia moments in the manga I'm having a new wave of feels for these two, haha. XD Juvia has an interesting way of showing love but I think it's sweet... in a weird but neat kinda way. XD**

**~Foxtail-chan**


	6. Still Life

_~Watching Gray sleep was a rare yet welcomed treat.~_

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_**Still Life**_

The sleeping face of Gray was perhaps Juvia's favorite thing in the world. He was peaceful, usually, stoic and silent, calm and cool. Everything she always pictured him to be.

It was perhaps Juvia's even more favorite thing when he fell asleep next to her, or on her lucky days, with his head on her shoulder. It was a dream, having him that close and that vulnerable.

His slow and steady breathing letting out puffs of air onto her neck and sending chills down her spine.

Yes, although she loved Gray's personality and his rough way of talking, she opted for the quieter Gray, asleep and silent. A still life of the man she could stare at for hours.

* * *

_The Duel World Challenge - Nightmare Penguin - write about a dream - "silence" - 119 words_

**Yes, sleeping Gray is adorable. I think we all agree with you on that, Juvia. XD**

**~Foxtail-chan**


	7. The Romantic Process

_~She was going to get him to fall in love with her one way or another.~_

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_**The Romantic Process**_

The day Juvia met Gray, which had also been the day she'd vowed to make him fall in love with her, she'd known that the journey would be a long one.

It wasn't that Gray wasn't caring or loving in his own rather cold way, but he could be a little… difficult. Especially when it came to anything involving her and anything involving romance.

She wasn't surprised that he didn't fall head-over-heels in love with her at first sight like she had him. He didn't seem like the type to go after girls, rather waiting for them to come to him. And so, her long and rather daunting task of getting the notoriously frigid Gray Fullbuster to fall in love with her began.

She wasn't sure how long it would take, but she'd see it through to the end. She'd take his praise with his insults and the days when he seemed as if he might finally confess with the days when it seemed she was perhaps his least favorite person on the face of the planet. He was wishy-washy, at least in her mind, and she found that cute.

Others however, didn't see him as "wishy-washy". They were upfront with her and her delusions when it came to Gray, some sugar-coating it more than others. While Lucy would lightly suggest that perhaps she should go out on a date with someone else for a change, just to keep her options open, others such as Gajeel were straight to the point. They said things like '_He's a waste of time'_ and '_He doesn't love you. Get it through your head. Give up'_.

And it was those times when she'd find herself smiling the most, shaking her head and telling them that she'd never give up, and that they were wrong about how he felt.

It was the little things Gray did, when no one was watching, that gave her the hope to continue on with her quest. She was positive that somewhere deep down he loved her, and she was bound and determined to bring that part of him straight up to the surface.

And every time she'd say something along those lines aloud, she found that the opposition of others seemed to fade away. Lucy wouldn't suggest she go out on dates anymore, rather inviting her over for more "girl's nights" instead, so she'd have some company. And Gajeel would just roll his eyes, gritting his teeth but keeping his comments to himself. And she was grateful, in a way, for that.

But it also exasperated her… that no one ever cheered her on. Well, she supposed the girls did, in their own way, whenever they'd have those "girl's nights". They'd talk about crushes and then the next day when she saw Gray in the guild she'd get an elbow nudge and a few suggestive eyebrow wiggles from either Lucy or Levy. It was their own way of cheering her on, she guessed.

But sometimes she wondered if they truly knew how hard the journey was. She, of course, saw it as worthwhile and necessary, and she would have as much patience as it took, but in all reality… It was a damn hard job getting Gray to fall in love with her. Sometimes she thought she deserved much more credit than she got.

Because he was stubborn, hard-headed, standoffish, and so against the idea of falling in love with her that it was downright frustrating. Of course, she'd put the task on herself of courting him, and she could stop at any moment –however, everyone knew that moment would never come.

And with a different kind of smile on her face, she'd nod to herself. Yes, she, Juvia Lockser was taking on what could possibly the project of the century, but when it worked out? Oh, she would have more than enough reward to compensate for the late nights spent baking things for him, or the immense exhaustion she'd felt every day following him around, keeping eyes on his every move.

Because yes, she was taking on a job that seemed impossible to some, but absolutely probable to her. She wouldn't deny that it wasn't hard, and she definitely wouldn't deny that she probably deserved some sort of reward when it worked out.

And when she'd feel those smiles on her face she'd take a step back, sigh, and shake her head. Because she'd be damned if she didn't impress herself every single time she thought of all she'd done for Gray. She was one hell of a woman to stick with it for this long; and to still be _this _determined, she was positive had to be a mark of fate. And in the end, it all boiled down to the same thing, seemingly impossible task in front of her or not: She was going to get him to fall in love with her one way or another, whether he liked it or not.

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_The Sinnoh League Challenge - Route 201 part 5 - write about a journey - the journey is a spiritual one as opposed to a physical one_

**It's never shown whether or not Juvia is ever proud of herself but I feel like she would be sometimes. She's quite humble but I feel like every once in a while she'd just sit there like "damn I'm good". Especially when she makes those culinary masterpieces with his face on them lol! **

**~Foxtail-chan**


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